Improvement in car-brakes



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

WILLIAM L. HOFECKER, OF WHITE HAVEN, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-BRAKES.

` Speeification forming part of Letters Patent No. 174.421, dated March 7, 1876-; application filed January 7, 1876 l To all whom't may concm Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. HOFEKER,

of White Haven Luzerne County, Pennsylvana, haveinvented a new and Improved i contact with the wheels; and it' consists in the combination of parts, as hereinafter described.

` In the drawing, A represents a short lateral shaft that is supported on han gers B applied ri gidly to the'truck-fraue, between the wheels. A [ever-arm, a, is keyed to the shat't, and connected either directly or by an internediate shatt, b, crank d, and connectig-rods 6, with the hand-wheel antLratchet and pawl mechanisn at the front and rear platforms ot' the car,

, or to stean or vacuun appliance's, by which the brakes are operated in the customary manner. Shaft A-carries Vertically above the rail ot' the track an eccentric, G, keyed there: to, to which is applied, by an eucircling band, the loosely-slidiug fram'e D that supports at its lower end the brakesho'e' E. The encirclin g band and shoe-carryingframe are secured by fastening-bolts, or in other suitable maner, around the eecentric, the brake-shoe being connected by a dovotail groove and bolts to the frame, and Suspended at the ends by rods g attached to a spring of the truckframe,by which the brake-shoe is steadied and carried in upward direction. The shoe is made of suitable length with a side flange, f, extending downward along the rail head for the purpose of bearing jointly on the top and side of the same. The shoe is carried by the turning of the eccentrie either toward or from the rail, being retained by its weight, and the sliding band parallel to the top of the rail.

The brakes are applied by turning the operating wheel in one direction, and raised from the wheel by means of the spring g on releasing the hand-wheel nechanisn.

The parallel motion of the shoe may also be accomplished intplace ot' the eecentrics by knuckle-joints, or any other equivalent device by which the same powerful friction on the rail is obtained.

I ani aware that the .parallel motion above described is not new, and desire to confine myself to the specific device.

What I claim is The combination, with shaft A connected with handwheel and operative nechanism, of the eccentric O having brake-shoe at lower end,the encircling band'and the Shoe-carrying frame, as and for the purpose described.

WILLIAM -L. HOFECKER.

Witnesses: n

PAUL GOEPEL, AsHBEL HOFEGKER. 

